Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-01-05

81
specuiat ting, Of II her AFFAIRS are involved, /
might interfere with adyantage Ito your.
Goldmore, as he said this, cleared his throat
and shifted his chin between his shirt collar
in an imposing way. The chin was very
well shaved, and the shirt collar very white
and stiff, as is invariably the case with
unillionaires in the morning.
u might advise with your mother the
great man added. seeing that his wife did
not speak. "and tender her my aid"
Sibyl was really alarmed at this suggestion
from her husband, who, as she well knew,
was neither a. meddler nor one who formed
his opinions hastily. She hurried OFF to
Sophia and declared her misgivings; and all
Sophia could say was that there seemed good
reason for fearing that something was wrong.
But, Sophia added, she had already tried
every possible means to find out her mothers
actual position and motives, and had entirely
failed.
aIn that case" Archibald Goldmore said,
whenshis wife reported this result to him, II
shall call upon your mother myself and In
roduce the subject It is my duty to offer
her my counsel What can she know about
businessF'
And he called upon little Mrs Barbara,
who received him with her usual cheerful
ness Goldmore was afavorite with her in
his way
@You know, me well enough to be quite
sure that am no Paul Pry.'" the millionaire
said. He seemed to think that there was
magnanimity in his very mention Of that
character in connection with himself aI
hope don't intrude is not often on my lirs,
for this simple reason-I k,,o,D don't In
trude" s
Little Mrs. Temple gave him brisk nod
and smile, and he proeeeded approaching
his subject with slow dignity, as if he were
driving the lord mayors coach round a
:ticklish corner.
and myself-at the great change. You have
made in your household; and knowing, aswe
do, your sound common sense, we ara sure
there Is a good reason for it 1t Is great
change" he added. boxing round the small
drawing room, although yon have displayed
your usual good taste here from-from- floor
to ceiling.nl
Eyes" Mrs Temple replied unconcernedly,
"it is nice little house."
'This has been bad time for investments"
Goldmore remarked, resolved to keep near
his real business, "and expenses are very
heavy have sometimes thought how little
I imagined, when first married. how costly
my establishment would be ~ The old rogue
lived to the full third within his income,
u am sometimes frightened at expenditure,
lf,sc Toy,,,1a .-,-t -. :, 80
: care Yous" she remarked Snow, never
am!n
II am glad to hear It," he answered. ITO
tell you the truth, I was afraid that you
might have found your own expenses little
in excess of your calculations; and to be quite
plain withJyou, Lcame this morning to know
if there is any business you would like to
tax over with me. know" Goldmore said,
with ths-modesty Of monarch, something
about affairs. Now can be of any use to
you! Can my knowledge of-the money
,market"-this being a joke he laughed a lit
tle-'be of any use to your
"Not any, Archibald" she said. II always
manage my own business"
"There is no difficulty can clear up9"
"All my.business, is straightforward and
Ineligible"
, "Then," said the baffled inquirer, lit only
remains for me to say that L hope you do
not consider my visit and my offer at all
impertinent!"
gzsQuite the contrary, Archibald" she cried
the world I would sooner have consulted if I
had wanted advice. But don't want advice,
Archibald"
So Archibald Goldmore went home as wise
as he came; and when his wife met him in,the
avenue and asked him if he knew everything,
it was with some slight vexation he replied
that he knew nothing.
"But haze my fears,p he said, "and very
grave fears. However," he added, seeing his
wife's face fall, "don't be alarmed. Ii any
thing happens we shall see what can be
done" He spoke like financial pillar; there
could lie no dreadful crash in the family so
long as he stood unshaken.
Egerton and Caroline talked the matter
over, too, and Egerton said at once that his
mother-in-law was going out of her mind
and deeming it his duty to prepare Sophia
for the worst.
II have noticed this coming on for months,
be said to her, while she could scarcely look
him in the face for laughter. "There have
been many symptoms which I have been
watching It&ould not be frightened, Sophia
being frightened never does any good-but
still, if were you, 1Ashould sleep with
strait waistcoat under my pillow, and then,
If anything sudden happened, you could clap
it on. Forewarned is forearmed, Sophia"
Thus both within the family circe and
outside it the affairs of Mrs. Temple were dis
cussed, with great assiduity; but relatives,
friends and acquaintances were alike left in
the dark.
The ordinary set Of people. talked the mat
ter over, wondered, surmised, and then for
got all about it. But the family could not so
lightly dismiss doubt which concerned their
own interests; and in the family the whis-
pered belief was that the little mother, for
all her shrewdness, had run into extrava-
gance, and that poverty was now forcing her
to retrench. Theme came questions: What is
her position now? From what source comes
her income9 What will Sophia have when
she dies! And these misgivings were the
more anxious, because it was already known
that portion of her property, at least, would
at her death 60 to her first husbands heir.
CHAPTER w.
REV ANTHONY BRENT CEASES 70 BE RECTOR
With all her seriousness Sophia had never,
been what we call an ecclesiastical girl. The